Magic Medicine Man
by thejordanandhervices
Summary: Title fail. A baby girl saved by the sun god himself? A young woman with a sad, mistaken past with a dead brother thanks to Nemesis and Hecate? The story of how Will Solace's mom and Apollo got to know each other.


He walked the stark white halls looking like a male model on a catwalk. He paused for a moment in front of an unmarked door in a white hallway identical to every other. Once inside, the golden-haired god stepped lightly until he was standing next to a clear box with tubes attached all over. His perfect brow creased, looking foreign on his angelic face. Apollo looked at the infant a few moments before picking up a chart and reading.

"Name: Ruby Solace. Age: five months…" He paused, "Well, Rubes. It seems these mortal doctors don't quite know what to do with you."

The child was eerily quiet, looking at him with large gray-blue eyes. The young god sighed and set down the chart. "The world hasn't been very nice to you so far, huh? I bet if you got the chance, you'd grow up beautifully."

Confliction flitted across his features like the ballet of the fates, soon ended by the hard planes of resolve. Removing the lid of the case and bending over the small, limp, form he began to emit a golden glow that bathed them both in its soft yellow light.

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"RUBY!" a man's gruff voice called, "You're late, grab an apron and start taking orders."

"Yes sir!" called a young girl with dark brown hair and golden eyes as she made her rounds taking orders. It was a cool, cloudy day on the beaches of Main and that meant very few people wanting to eat at the open air restaurant by the beach.

"Hey," called someone behind her.

She whirled, "Hi there! My name is Ruby, what can I get for you today?" She said with a soft smile.

The young man slouched in his seat, looked her over, golden hair falling into his eyes, "I'll take that smile to go, please." He said, flashing his own sunny ones.

Blushing softly, she averted her gaze and cleared her throat, "Very clever. Now would you like something to drink, or does your charm satisfy you?" She said, putting a sarcastic emphasis on "charm."

At this, his smile seemed to brighten, "Oh, I'll have a cup of coffee. But it's true; my charm does keep me satisfied."

As the weeks passed, this stranger continued to show up and talk to Ruby. One day, two months after their first meeting Ruby was at his table with her notepad in hand.

"Now," she said sternly, "I don't want any sass from you today. What would you like?"

"Alright, I'll be completely serious.' He said, leaning forward and staring at her intensely, "Today, I would like to talk to you."

"We are talking." She said, not able to look him in the eyes.

"When do you get off?"

She hoped desperately he couldn't see her blush. No boy had ever asked her that, especially not one who looked like he did, "I'll be done with my shift in five minutes."

"Good," he said, "I'll wait."

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"What did you want to talk about?" she asked, watching the waves crash against the sand, beating glass into beautiful sea glass.

"Let's start with a question. Do you recognize me?" They sat on the pier, legs hanging over the side.

She watched his face for any signs of mockery as she had grown to be guarded and wary of pretty boys. There was none. As she watched, memories of a warm glow penetrated her thoughts. The feeling of being safe and loved… She looked away, "No…" she whispered. It wasn't exactly a lie. He looked familiar, but she did not recognize him.

"When you were a baby I saved your life. You became sick; I could tell you didn't have much time."

"How…?" she faltered. He couldn't possibly be old enough…

He ran his fingers through his shining hair and sighed, "Ruby, you were bitten by Mormo when you were five months old. He works for Hecate, biting bad children and causing them to suffer. You were an accident, and much too young to take the poison. You were dying. Hecate pleaded with me, she said you were not meant to die.***** That you got in the way of his real target."

It was quiet for a long time. Just when he thought she really wasn't able to handle the news, like the others sad, she spoke. "Who was his real target?" She whispered, surprising herself. Why was she going along with this madness? But his words made sense to her that shook her to the bone.

"Your brother. Nemesis got him only days later."

"Why did Nemesis kill him?" Ruby could see the concern of the golden-haired boy's face. She knew he didn't want to go on. "Please. I'm not sure I believe you, but no one has ever offered me an explanation for my brother. Now that you've started, I have to hear."

"He used you as a shield from Mormo. When he fell off the park equipment and broke his neck… well, he paid his debt."

Tears welled in her eyes for the brother she had only ever heard about. "Why? Why did you save me? Who are you?"

The boy seemed to age in front of her eyes. Lifting her chin to meet his eyes, he spoke, "I am Apollo, god of the sun and of truth, of prophecy and of music. God of medicine and of healing. I _chose _to heal you because I saw you had a brightness in you that rivaled even my son chariot." He smiled, returning his features to that of a young man.

"But I'm just a girl, just a mortal… And you! A… a god? I don't know if I'm convinced I've never…" she said, turning away.

"Ruby Solace. You are more than just a mortal. You're _my_ mortal. And I'll do everything I can to convince you of my godly powers."

The sudden shift in his voice caught her off guard and she turned towards him. He caught her face in his hands and kissed her.

*** In one of the old storied Mormo did work for Hecate, biting bad children, although there is no mention of poison. Hecate, best known in the Percy Jackson stories for being the goddess of magic, is also known for nurturing children, gates and crossroads, doorways and other small things. [Janus is only a Roman god, and also shares the doorways and crossroads thing.] Thank you for reading! And feel free to leave a comment!**


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